Glass sheet and system and method for making glass sheet

Abstract

A method includes impregnating a region of a glass sheet with a filler material in a liquid state. The glass sheet includes a plurality of glass soot particles. The filler material is solidified subsequent to the impregnating step to form a glass/filler composite region of the glass sheet.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A composite sheet, comprising:
 a glass soot sheet comprising glass soot particles bonded with other glass soot particles proximate thereto, wherein boundaries of at least some of the glass soot particles define voids in the soot sheet; and 
 filler material filling at least some of the voids, wherein the filler material comprises a polymeric material, wherein the filler material is in a solid state. 
 
     
     
       2. The composite sheet of  claim 1 , wherein the glass soot particles are partially melted together with the other glass soot particles proximate thereto. 
     
     
       3. The composite sheet of  claim 1 , wherein the glass soot particles comprise silica. 
     
     
       4. The composite sheet of  claim 3 , wherein the glass soot particles are doped. 
     
     
       5. The composite sheet of  claim 1 , wherein the composite sheet is a ribbon. 
     
     
       6. The composite sheet of  claim 5 , wherein the ribbon is in a roll. 
     
     
       7. The composite sheet of  claim 5 , wherein the ribbon comprises edge surfaces and two major surfaces, wherein the two major surfaces have surface areas larger than edge surfaces. 
     
     
       8. The composite sheet of  claim 7 , wherein surface areas of the two major surfaces are at least 5 times that of a third largest surface of the ribbon. 
     
     
       9. The composite sheet of  claim 7 , wherein the filler material extends from one major surface to the other major surface. 
     
     
       10. The composite sheet of  claim 1 , wherein from the filler material extends from surface of the glass soot sheet into the interior of the glass soot sheet. 
     
     
       11. The composite sheet of  claim 10 , wherein the glass soot sheet is impregnated with the filler material. 
     
     
       12. The composite sheet of  claim 11 , wherein the filler material extends substantially through the entire thickness of the impregnated glass soot sheet. 
     
     
       13. The composite sheet of  claim 1 , having a density of at least about 0.6 g/cc. 
     
     
       14. The composite sheet of  claim 13 , having a density of at most about 1.3 g/cc. 
     
     
       15. The composite sheet of  claim 1 , having at least about 50 wt % of the filler material. 
     
     
       16. A composite sheet, comprising:
 a glass soot sheet comprising glass soot particles bonded with other glass soot particles proximate thereto, wherein boundaries of at least some of the glass soot particles define voids in the soot sheet; and 
 filler material filling at least some of the voids, wherein the filler material comprises a polymeric material, wherein the filler material is at a temperature of at least 100° C. and is in a liquid state. 
 
     
     
       17. The composite sheet of  claim 16 , wherein the filler material has a melting point of at least about 60° C. 
     
     
       18. The composite sheet of  claim 17 , wherein the ratio of the sintering temperature in degrees Celsius of the glass soot particles to the melting point of the filler material is at least about 5. 
     
     
       19. The composite sheet of  claim 17 , wherein the ratio of the sintering temperature in degrees Celsius of the glass soot particles to the melting point of the filler material is at most about 50. 
     
     
       20. The composite sheet of  claim 16 , wherein the voids of the glass soot sheet are sized and positioned such that the voids draw in the filler material in the liquid state via capillary action.